Phytomedicine
Knowledge is power: Learn about medicinal plants
Register for the 2025 Phytomedicine Course
Course Title: From Farm to Bedside: Evidence-Based Phytomedicine for Global Health
8 Weeks (Live Online Sessions: Saturdays, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern Time) beginning Saturday July 12th, 2025
This interactive 8-week course delivered weekly online is designed to provide the latest education on evidence-based phytomedicine (medicinal plants). The course objectives include the following:
By the end of this course, participants will:
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Learn about Phytomedicines used by over 80% of populations in different world regions
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Understand the evidence around the widely used phytomedicine, medical cannabis within the U.S. regulatory, clinical, and research landscape
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Explore best practices from cultivation to clinical application
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Critically evaluate scientific evidence supporting cannabis-based and other phytomedicinal treatments
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Assess safety, efficacy, and ethical considerations in therapeutic use
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Gain hands-on experience through virtual simulations in extraction and clinical decision-making
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Engage with global perspectives and opportunities in phytomedicine research
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Participate in a citizen science initiative to identify and evaluate widely used medicinal plants
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Earn a Certificate of Completion upon successfully passing assessments
Course Leaders
Certificate Programs
May 2025
In December 2022, there was successful bipartisan legislation as the first standalone cannabis reform bill to pass both the House and Senate, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of federal cannabis policy in the USA. Goals of the legislation include: 1) advance research on the potential risks and medical benefits of cannabis, cannabis products; 2) promote the commercial development of FDA-approved drugs derived from cannabis; and 3) ensure that physicians may discuss the potential risks and benefits of medical cannabis with their patients. This course will educate physicians, business owners and the public on the evidence around medical cannabis, and opportunities for further research and development working with partners at top world institutions. The course will start in May 2025. Watch the trailer below in the education videos. More information will be posted here soon
Visiting Faculty Fellowships
Jan 2, 2022
Applications are invited for up to 10 Global Health Catalyst (GHC) visiting Faculty Fellowships and Research fellowships beginning July 1, 2022. These fellowships are available to support outstanding faculty or Fellows whose teaching and research focus is on global oncology, or phytomedicines.
Fellows will be supported to work with faculty at different world-leading institutions. Learn more and apply here
Educational Conference Lectures
May 5, 2023
The Yearly Global Health Catalyst summits feature highly educational sessions with lectures on phytomedicines. Learn more here
Educational Videos
May 1, 2023
Watch educational videos including clips featuring NFL legend Calvin Johnson (Megatron) and fellow former NFL star Rob Sims who ask questions to professors at the world's top university and the very best on medical cannabis.
Educational Videos
Knowledge is Power
Join the quest for knowledge on medical cannabis in collaboration with Primitiv
More educational videos coming soon
In the News
Recent news
IPI Research Fellowships program launched
January 1 2022
Applications are invited for Global Health Catalyst (GHC) visiting Faculty Fellowships and Research fellowships beginning July 1, 2022. These fellowships are available to support outstanding faculty or Fellows whose teaching and research focus is on global oncology, or phytomedicines.Fellows will be supported to work with faculty at different world-leading institutions. Learn more and apply here
IPI Football Legend Calvin Johnson inducted in the hall of fame
August 8, 2021
Calvin Johnson is a name that resonates with football fans across the world. The former Detroit Lions wide receiver, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021 in his first year of eligibility and inducted in 2021. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever grace the gridiron. Known as “Megatron” for his physical and athletic prowess, Johnson dominated the game with his record-breaking achievements, his impact on the game, and his character on and off the field Learn more
IPI Scientists at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania publish on Phytoradiotherapy
Feb 8, 2021
Phyto, or plant-based, medicines offer a way to add to radiation treatment, while also protecting patients from its toxic side effects, as highlighted in new publication by Scientists. Learn more
IPI Scientists Isolate hemoglobin from a Justicia plane
January 25, 2020
Isolated extracts from Justicia (family Acanthanceae) plant leaves used in Africa as remedy for anemia are found to contain significant amounts of hemoglobin potentially justifying their used for anemia treatment and opening up major new doors for research in developing a blood substitute
IPI to partner with the Jamaican Government for global health and economic development
October 1, 2019
A local phytomedicine and cannabis institute will be established in short order to explore Jamaica’s vast botanical resources and validate the country’s medicinal plants for safety, efficacy, and dosage in clinical use. This will be done in collaboration with the IPI.
IPI Scientists show that flavonoids from cannabis significantly prolong survival in animals with pancreatic cancer
August, 21, 2019
Like most plants, cannabis contains chemical substances called flavonoids. IPI scientists working at Harvard’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that a specific cannabis flavonoid, FBL-03G, has major potential in treating pancreatic cancer. I cancer cells. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers on Oncology in July 2019
A revolutionary Institute is launched
June 1, 20219
The IPI is launched during the 2019 Global Health Catalyst summit at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. Participants at launch included leading scientists and healthcare professionals, government leaders, and NFL players including legend Calvin Johnson (Megatron)
Can Phytomedicines Make America Healthy Again?
April 12, 2025
On February 13, 2025, the President of the United States issued an executive order establishing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) commission, a government-wide initiative focused on decreasing chronic diseases. Phytomedicines, derived from plants, hold significant potential in addressing chronic diseases and align well with the MAHA vision. These natural remedies are rich in bioactive compounds like polyphenols, alkaloids, and flavonoids, which exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties
Antiviral Activity of Jamaican Medicinal Plants and Isolated Bioactive Compounds
April 12, 2025
Plants have had historical significance in medicine since the beginning of civilization. The oldest medical pharmacopeias of the African, Arabian, and Asian countries solely utilize plants and herbs to treat pain, oral diseases, skin diseases, microbial infections, multiple types of cancers, reproductive disorders among a myriad of other ailments. IPI scientists publish a review of some important Jamaican medicinal plants, with particular reference to their antiviral activity.
